Piston-rod swab and gland-lock.



G. CHRISTENSON.

PISTON ROD SWAB AND GLAND LOCK. APPLICATION FILED AUGJI. 1914.

1 ,1 @%,fi@@, Patented May 23, 1916.

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{ i W 3 l8 M LLJJ 3 U 528 i: i 3@ 25 m m m 5] woe ntoz i a m GEORGE CHRISTENSON, OF JAMAICA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR 130- H. W. JOHNS- MANVILLE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PISTON-ROI) SWAB AND GLAND-LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 1916.

Application filed August 11, 1914. Serial No. 856,303.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE OHnIs'rENsoN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Jamaica, county of Queens, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piston-Rod Swabs and Gland-Locks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for maintaining piston rods clean and well lubricated, and also for looking, or preventing the loosening up of stuffing box glands, and is particularly designed for use on direct coupled power pumps, such as are used for compressing the air used in air brake systems. In such apparatus the pump cylinder and the steam cylinder are usually arranged in tandem with a common piston rod connecting the two pistons, the cylinders being bolted to an intermediate skeleton framework. Because of the rapid movement of such piston rods, and the high pressures generated in the cylinders, it is important to have the stufling boxes kept tight, and the piston well lubricated. It is also important to protect the lubricated piston rod from the fiyingdirt and cylinders, to which it is peculiarly exposed by reason of the usual location of the apparatus on'the side of a locomotive.

My invention accomplishes all these results most efiiciently.

The best form of apparatus embodying my invention at present known to me is illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device ready for application to an air pump, and Fig. 2 is a cross section of the same when in position taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow, showing the pump frame in side elevation with parts broken away, and the stufling boxes partly in section.

Throughout the drawings like reference characters indicate like parts.

1, and 2, are sections of a cylindrical shell, split longitudinally, the two sections being joined by hinges 3. A spiral spring 4, surrounds the hinge pintle and its ends press outwardly against the insides of the handle 17, 18, normally holding the same apart, and the two shell sections 1, and 2, together.

5, and 6, are ring sections formed on the inner surfaces of the shell sections, grooved on their inner faces to receive packing strips or swab sections 7, and 8, of absorbent material, such as cotton waste. These ring sections, when the shell sections are forced together by spring 4, form a ring which has an internal diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the piston rod 22, of the air pump to which the device is to be applied.

A portion of the pump is shown in Fig. 2, where 20, represents the cylinder head of the upper or steam cylinder (not shown) and 21, the cylinder head of the lower or air cylinder (not shown), the two being connected by skeleton frame 28. The common piston rod 22, extends through stuffing boxes 24, 25, having glands 26, 27, and screw caps 28, 29. These caps are usually provided with a series of radially arranged recesses 80, 30, with which a spanner may engage to screw the caps on or ofi and so relieve or compress the stufling box packing 31, 31.

9, and 10, represent depressed oil channels in the upper faces of the ring sections 5, and 6, respectively, which do not extend quite to the ends of the ring sections. 11, and 12, are holes through the shell sections 1, and 2, connecting the oil grooves or channels 9, and 10, with the exterior oil cups 13, and 14. On the inner face of shell section 1, and near its upper end is a lug 15, parallel to the axis of the cylinder and of a size to fit into one of the recesses 30, in the stufiing box screw caps 29. On the inner face of the other shell section 2, near its lower end is a similar lug 28, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. 19, is a chain by which the swab may be attached to the pump in any convenient manner so that it may not fall off the locomotive if dropped from the operators hand after being removed to afford access to the stuffing boxes when it is desired to set up the packing or renew the same.

In operation the swab is opened like a pair of tongs, as shown in Fig. 1, to place it in position around the piston rod, and when the handles are released the spring 4 causes the hinged sections 1 and 2, to grasp the piston rod and stufling box caps, as shown in Fig. 2. Oil placed in cups, 13, and 14, will run through oil holes 11, and 12, to grooves 9, and 10, being delivered at the inner ends of said grooves to the surface of the piston rod 22. On each down stroke of the pump some of the oil is carried down to the swab sections 7, and 8, where the most of it is retained for continued application to the piston rod, which is thus constantly lubricated to reduce friction with the stufling box packing 31. As the oil grooves 9, and 10, do not extendto the joints between the abutting ends of ring sections 5, and 6, none'of the j voil is allowed to leak through said joints, but all of'it is'applied' to the piston rod, -and surfaces of swab packing 7, and 8.

7 s WVhen the apparatus is placed in position the lugs 15, and 16, may at once drop into some of the recesses 30, 30, and lock the caps I: '28, 29, If they do not, a slight twist will seat one of the lugs in a recess. If the other (lug does not then register with a recess in looking action is required. If either-"does V start to unscrew, the firstfraction of a revo- '25 stufiing boxes.

theother stuiiing box cap, any unscrewing action of such other-cap will immediately bring a recess opposite such other lug, and, there being only one lug on each shell sec- 7 "tion, there is nothing to prevent each lug dropping into a cap recess under the action ofspring 4, whenever an opportunity offers.

If neither cap starts to unscrew, no gland 'pletely inclosing the stuffing box caps and furnishinga dust cap for piston rod and f stufiing boxes, 1ts direct lubricating actlon i on the piston rod, conserv ng the oil, leadlng itjdirectly to the surfaces; to be lubricated 'and *retaining it' incontact therewith, and

its positive, automatic locking action on the stuffing box caps.

NVhile I have shown the shell out into two sections connected by one set of hinges, it .is evident that it might becut into a greater 7 numberof sections, all similarly jointed together by spring hinges.

Having, therefore, described my inven tion, I claim;

1. A combined piston rod swab and gland lock having in combination a cylindrical shell split longitudinally and adapted to inclose the piston .rod and stuffing boxes,

springic'ontrollcd hinges connecting the sections so formed, ring sections ofabsorbent material set in the interlor of sa d cylinder,

1 and means for delivering oil directly to the inner faces of said sections of absorbent material.

*2; A combined p ston rod swab and gland lock having in combination a cylindrical shell split. longitudinally and adapted to inclose the piston rod' and stufiing boxes, 7

hinges connecting said sections, interior ring sections fitting closely about the plston rod and-:provided with grooves on their bearlng faces, each ring sectionfbeing provided on i 7 91591 95 at an patent may be obtained for its upper face with an oil channel located over said groove and disconnected from the ends of the ring sections.

3. A combined piston rod swab and gland lock having in combination a cylindrical shell split longitudinally and adapted to inclose the piston rod and stufiing boxes, hinges connecting said sections, interior ring sections fitting closely about the piston rod and provided with grooves on their bearing faces, each ring section being provided on its upper face with an oil channel located over said groove and disconnected from the ends of the ring sections, and swab packing of absorbent material located in said grooves.

4. A combined piston rod swab and gland lock having in combination, a cylindrical shell split longitudinally and adapted to inclose the piston rod and stufiing boxes, spring controlled hinges connecting the sections so formed, ring sections of absorbent material set in the interior of said cylinder, and means for delivering oil directly to the inner faces of said sections of absorbent material, said means comprising oil cups on the exterior of the shell, and passageways leading therefrom to the surfaces adjacent to the piston rod.

5. A gland lock for direct coupled power pumps having threaded caps for stufiing boxes, comprising iii-combination a cylindrical shell split longitudinally and adapted to inclose the piston rod and stufling boxes, spring controlled hinges connecting the sections so formed, a lug on the inside of the upper end of one section adapted to engage any depression in the upper stufiing box cap and a similarlug on the inside of the lower end of the opposite section, adapted to engage any depression in the lower stuffing box cap. 6. A combined piston rod swab and gland lock for direct coupled power pumps having threaded caps for stuifing boxes, comprising in combination a cylindrical shell surrounding and tightly fitting the stufiing box caps, and lubricating devices inside of said shell in contact with the piston rod.

7 A combined piston rod swab and gland lock for direct coupled power-pumps having threaded caps for stuffing boxes, comprising in combination a cylindrical shell surrounding and tightly fitting thestufiing box caps, and lubricating devices inside of said shell in contact with the piston rod, together with channels extending to the exterior of the shell for the introduction of oil to said lubricating means.

GEORGE CHRISTENSON.

Witnesses: I

' A. PARKER-SMITH,

M. G. CRAwronn.

m cents each, by'addressingthe "Commissioner of ratcltl, 'Washingtou, D. G." 

